Posted on 01/04/2026 4:28:30 PM PST by nickcarraway
The beer rose to the top of a crowded American field, finishing ahead of 35 other U.S. breweries.
Key Points:
-Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Union Jack IPA outscored 35 American breweries to win Best American Beer at the Brussels Beer Challenge, a major international competition.
-Union Jack is Firestone Walker’s flagship IPA, brewed with Simcoe, Chinook, and Centennial hops that define its classic West Coast profile. The beer is known for pairing expressive hop character with a solid malt backbone.
-Created by brewmaster Matt Brynildson and first released in 2008, Union Jack helped establish Firestone Walker as a leading West Coast IPA producer. Its early success and continued accolades have kept it relevant for more than 15 years.
Paso Robles, California–based Firestone Walker Brewing Company beat out 35 American breweries this year to win Best American Beer with its flagship IPA, Union Jack, at the 2025 Brussels Beer Challenge. “The Brussels Beer Challenge is a top world-class competition that draws some of the very best,” says Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It means a lot to win.”
Founded in 2012, the Brussels Beer Challenge has grown into one of Europe’s most prominent international beer competitions, with thousands of entries judged annually by an international panel of brewers, beer writers, and sommeliers. While the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival remain the most influential competitions for U.S. breweries — particularly in terms of domestic prestige and market impact — the Brussels Beer Challenge offers a different kind of validation: recognition from a European judging body historically more rooted in Old World styles. For American breweries, a win in Brussels can signal international credibility as much as technical excellence.
Firestone Walker's Union Jack West Coast IPA
Union Jack IPA traces its roots back to early brewing trials in 2006, with an official release in 2008 during the rise of West Coast IPA. Nearly two decades later, the beer is still winning major awards. In 2025 alone, it took gold at both the World Beer Cup and the Brussels Beer Challenge. Food & Wine / Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Union Jack’s roots date back nearly two decades. Brynildson says that initial brewing trials for the beer began in 2006 — the same year as Firestone Walker’s tenth anniversary — and the resulting beer was officially released in 2008. “It was inspired by the many great IPAs coming from California brewers at that time,” says Brynildson. “Beers like Sierra Nevada Celebration, Russian River Pliny the Elder, and Anchor Liberty Ale.”
Early recognition helped cement Union Jack’s reputation during the height of the West Coast IPA boom. Brynildson notes that in 2008 and 2009, the beer earned back-to-back gold medals in the American IPA category at the Great American Beer Festival, which “helped to put Union Jack on the map as a leading West Coast IPA and the beer helped us grow our brewery’s distribution outside of Central Coastal California.”
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Since then, both the IPA category and Firestone Walker’s portfolio have expanded considerably. The brewery’s IPA lineup now includes a more modern take on the West Coast IPA and a hazy IPA with its own variety pack and radler spin-off — styles that reflect broader shifts in consumer demand away from the piney, bitter profiles that once defined the category. Still, Brynildson says those newer beers remain connected to the original. They were “all inspired by what we have learned through Union Jack and share at least a little of its core DNA,” according to Brynildson.
While Mind Haze IPA has now overtaken Union Jack as the brand’s bestseller in-market, the older beer continues to play a significant role in Firestone Walker’s identity. Brynildson says Union Jack’s continued popularity keeps it a top seller in Firestone Walker’s taprooms.
Fast Facts: Firestone Walker Union Jack
ABV: 7%
International Bitterness Unit (IBU): 70
Style: West Coast IPA
Hops: Brewed with Simcoe, Chinook, and Centennial hops
“It's rewarding to see a beer that you’ve thought about and brewed over and over again continue to be relevant and recognized around the world,” says Brynildson. This year alone, Union Jack took home gold medals at both the World Beer Cup and the Brussels Beer Challenge, where it competed in the Pale & Amber Ale: English IPA category.
That category placement underscores one of the more interesting aspects of Union Jack’s appeal. Though often associated with the American West Coast IPA tradition, the beer found success in Brussels within a stylistic framework more closely aligned with English brewing heritage.
Luc De Raedemaeker, beer sommelier, editor-in-chief of Belgium-based Bière Grand Cru, and co-founder and director of the Brussels Beer Challenge, says that while Union Jack’s hop profile may not be 100% textbook for an English IPA, its balance of a “solid malt backbone is exactly what a good English IPA should have,” making it a category favorite with the panel of six judges. “Firestone Walker is a top brewery,” says De Raedemaeker, “Fresh, hoppy, and well-balanced, this beer has it all.”
Bass used to be a huge favorite, but I or the beer changed and it does not taste the same.
Same thing happened with Guinness.
Prefer pale ales. My favorite on tap is Kona Brewing Fire Rock. The crap they sell on markets is wretched.
Bump for later! Thanks! 😎
Maybe I exaggerate… but not by much. This is from a 50+ year beer drinker.
A hearty stout or porter for me, but I’d pick Bud over any IPA.
Yuengling for me.
It’s also run by the daughters of the Yuengling dynasty..All management. No spouses allowed. Girls raised in the business. They sure know beer.
Yuengling is good beer. They don’t have obnoxious, WOKE television commercials.
Thus, they have my business.
Doesn’t surprise me that it’s a bunch of IPA’s on the list. IPA’s are horrible, a made up reason for people to drink terrible beer while sitting around claiming they are drinking something trendy. The proper American made beer has always been a good Pilsner or Lager.
It’s not even listed in the Beer Advocate top 250 beers.
I’m more into Pilsners but I’ll give the winner a try!
An IBU of 70? Yuck!
They beat out by Milwaukee’s Best a few years ago.
Mostly a burbon guy these days, but I’ve never heard of it.
Sorry. Not MB, but Schlitz.
Spotted Cow hands down.
L
Agreed, Spotted Cow is superb. A cousin who lives near New Glarus brought me a case over Christmas.
Drinking one as I read this.
My all time favorite beer was when I was with the Air Force in Germany during the early 70’s. It was called Park Brau, but when the EU demanded that all beers be pasteurized they killed most European beers
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